This application makes reference to, incorporates the same herein, and claims all benefits accruing under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7119 from my applications entitled Refrigerator And Control Method Thereof filed with the Korean Industrial Property Office on Feb. 9, 2000 and there duly assigned Ser. No. 2000-6040 and filed with the Korean Industrial Property Office on Oct. 5, 2000 and there duly assigned Ser. No. 2000-58578.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a refrigerator and a method for controlling the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIG. 1 which is a side sectional view of a refrigerator, the refrigerator is comprised of a main body 1 formed with a fresh food compartment 3 and a freezer compartment 5, and doors 7 and 9 installed in front of the main body 1, opening and closing the fresh food compartment 3 and the freezer compartment 5. In the rear lower part of the main body 1 is provided a component chamber 30 accommodating therein a compressor 31 compressing a refrigerant and a condenser (not shown).
In the rear of the freezer component 5 are provided an evaporator 15 generating cool air by means of the refrigerant from the compressor 31 and an evaporator accommodating part 10 accommodating the evaporator 15 therein.
The evaporator accommodating part 10 includes a rear cover 11 and a front cover 13. The rear cover 11 is spaced from the rear wall of the freezer compartment 5 at a predetermined interval and the front cover 13 is spaced from the rear cover 11 at a predetermined interval, having cool air discharge holes. On the rear lower part of the rear cover 11 is provided a supporter 12 supporting the evaporator 15. Above the upper part of the evaporator 15 is installed a fan 17 blowing the cool air generated from the evaporator 15 into the freezer compartment 5.
In the rear of the inner wall of the main body 1 are provided a cool air duct 40 and a cool air circulation duct 43. The cool air duct 40 includes a cool air path 41 guiding the cool air generated from the evaporator 15 into the fresh food compartment 3, and the cool air circulation duct 43 guides the air passing through the fresh food compartment 3 toward the evaporator 15. The cool air duct 40 extends toward the rear wall of the fresh food compartment 3 from the evaporator accommodating part 10 positioned in the rear of the freezer compartment 5, and the cool air circulation duct 43 extends toward the evaporator 15 from the rear lower part of the fresh food compartment 3.
In the cool air duct 40 is installed a damper 150 opening and closing the cool air path 41 so as to control an inner temperature of the fresh food compartment 3. In the fresh food compartment 3 is installed a temperature sensor 20 sensing the inner temperature of the fresh food compartment 3. In the main body 1 is provided a controller (not shown) controlling an operation of the damper 150 so as to allow the damper 150 to open and close the cool air path 41 according to the inner temperature of the fresh food compartment 3, the temperature being sensed by the temperature sensor 20.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along linexe2x80x94of FIG. 1, showing the conventional damper 150. As shown therein, the conventional cool air duct 40 is comprised of a cool air hole communicating with the cool air path 41. The conventional damper 150 is comprised of a damper plate 151 opening and closing the cool air hole 42, and a driving means 153 installed in one end of the damper plate 151, adjusting opening and closing of the damper plate 151. The driving means 153 is comprised of a solenoid having a plunger (not shown). Between the damper plate 151 and the driving means 143 is provided an elastic plate 154. One end of the elastic plate 154 is installed in the damper plate 151 and the other end thereof is installed in the plunger (not shown).
When the refrigerator starts to operate, the temperature sensor 20 senses an inner temperature of the fresh food compartment 3. If the sensed inner temperature of the fresh food compartment 3 is higher than a predetermined temperature, the controller drives the driving means 153 to wholly open the cool air path 41. If the cool air path 41 is entirely opened, the cool air generated from the evaporator 15 is supplied into the fresh food compartment 3 through the cool air path 41, to thereby decrease the inner temperature of the fresh food compartment 3 so as not to exceed the predetermined temperature.
If the sensed inner temperature of the fresh food compartment 3 is not higher than the predetermined temperature, the controller activates the driving means 153 to wholly close the cool air path 41. If the cool air path 41 is entirely closed, the cool air from the evaporator 15 cannot be supplied into the fresh food compartment 3, to thereby allow the inner temperature thereof not to be lower than the predetermined temperature.
In the conventional refrigerator, the damper plate is structured simply to wholly open and close the cool air path of the cool air duct, so that it is difficult to appropriately adjust the amount of the cool air supplied into the cooling chamber according to the inner temperature of the cooling chamber, thereby being unable to effectively control the inner temperature of the cooling chamber.
The present invention has been made keeping in mind the above-described problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator capable of efficiently controlling an inner temperature of a cooling chamber, and a method for controlling the temperature.
This and other objects of the present invention may be achieved by a provision of a refrigerator comprising a main body formed with at least one cooling chamber and an evaporator, and a cool air duct forming a cool air path guiding cool air from the evaporator into the cooling chamber, further comprising a damper plate rotatably installed in the cool air duct, opening and closing the cool air path; a damper driving motor rotating the damper plate; a temperature sensor sensing an inner temperature of the cooling chamber; and a controller controlling the damper driving motor so as to open and close the damper plate, based on an open degree of the damper plate predetermined according to the inner temperature sensed by the temperature sensor.
The damper driving motor is installed outside the cool air duct, and the damper plate is of substantially rectangular and planar shape, corresponding to a sectional shape of the cool air duct, and it is installed inside the cool air path, and is rotatably coupled to a rotational shaft of the damper driving motor.
The refrigerator further comprises a damper rotation sensing part having a magnet coupled to a rotational shaft of the damper driving motor, generating a rotation signal, and a damper rotation speed sensor installed adjacent to the rotational shaft, sensing the rotation speed of the rotational shaft of the damper driving motor by means of the rotation signal from the magnet.
The damper rotation sensing part senses the open degree of the damper plate by means of the rotation speed detected by the rotation speed sensor and rotation time of the damper driving motor.
The controller controls the damper driving motor so as to allow the damper plate to have an open degree appropriate for the sensed inner temperature, by comparing the open degree of the damper plate sensed by the damper rotation sensing part and the predetermined open degree of the damper plate.
The controller controls the rotation time of the damper driving motor so as to adjust the open degree of the damper plate.
According to another aspect of the present invention, this and other objects may be achieved by a provision of a method for controlling a refrigerator comprising a main body formed with at least one cooling chamber and an evaporator, a cool air duct forming a cool air path guiding cool air from the evaporator into the cooling chamber, a damper plate rotatably installed in the cool air duct, opening and closing the cool air path, and a damper driving motor rotating the damper plate, comprising the steps of sensing the inner temperature of the cooling chamber to predetermine an open degree of the damper plate according to a sensed inner temperature; sensing the open degree of the damper plate; comparing the open degree of the damper plate predetermined according to the inner temperature and the sensed open degree of the damper plate; and controlling the damper driving motor so as to open the damper plate with the predetermined open degree.
In the step of sensing the open degree of the damper plate, rotation time of the damper driving motor is sensed, to determine the open degree of the damper plate.
In the step of controlling the damper driving motor, rotation time of the damper driving motor is controlled.
This and other objects of the present invention may also be achieved by a provision of a refrigerator comprising a main body formed with at least one cooling chamber and an evaporator, and a cool air duct forming a cool air path guiding cool air from the evaporator into the fresh food compartment, further comprising a damper plate rotatably installed in the cool air duct, opening and closing the cool air path; a damper driving motor rotating the damper plate; a frequency detector detecting the frequency of power supplied to the damper driving motor; a temperature sensor sensing an inner temperature of the cooling chamber; and a controller controlling power supply to the damper driving motor according to an open degree of the damper plate predetermined based on the sensed inner temperature and a power supply time set up based on the detected frequency.
The refrigerator further comprises a damper rotation sensing part having a magnet coupled to a rotational shaft of the damper driving motor, generating a rotation signal, and a damper rotation speed sensor installed adjacent to the rotational shaft, sensing the rotation speed of the rotational shaft of the damper driving motor by means of the rotational signal from the magnet.
The frequency detector detects the frequency of the power based on the rotation speed of the damper plate sensed by the damper rotation sensing part.
The controller determines a wholly opened point and a wholly closed point of the damper plate, based on the rotation speed of the damper plate sensed by the damper rotation sensing part, and controls the open degree of the damper plate according to the sensed inner temperature.
This and other objects of the present invention may also be achieved by a provision of a method for controlling a refrigerator comprising a main body formed with at least one cooling chamber and an evaporator, a cool air duct forming a cool air path guiding cool air from the evaporator into the cooling chamber, a damper plate rotatably installed in the cool air duct, opening and closing the cool air path, and a damper driving motor rotating the damper plate with power supply, comprising the steps of detecting the frequency of the power supply to the damper driving motor; sensing an inner temperature of the cooling chamber; and determining an open degree of the damper plate based on the sensed inner temperature, determining power supply time based on the open degree and the detected frequency, and supplying the power to the damper driving motor for the determined power supply time.
In the step of detecting the frequency, the frequency of the power supply is determined based on a rotation speed of the damper driving motor detected by dividing the rotation angle of the damper plate by the power supply time to the damper driving motor.
In the step of determining the open degree of the damper plate, the controller determines a wholly opened point and a wholly closed point of the damper plate based on a rotation degree of the damper plate sensed by a damper rotation sensing part and the detected frequency of the power supply.